NE Minneapolis

2112 Broadway Street NE,
Suite 195, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Coon Rapids

8770 Springbrook Dr. NW,
Suite 106, Coon Rapids, MN 55433
a

The ABCs of Body Prep for Winter Physical Activity

by | Dec 14, 2022 | News

a person wearing figure skates sitting on a frozen lake

Love it or hate it, winter is here. For those who play winter sports – casually or professionally – this is an exciting time to get back to the activities you love. And for the rest of us, it’s a season of shoveling snow, ice skating, and strolling through the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.

No matter what you’re doing this winter, it’s important to prepare your body for physical activity to avoid any preventable injury or pain. There are a few easy things you can start doing now to make sure your body is ready.

➡ Read Now: Are You Experiencing Pain This Winter?

How to Prepare Your Body for Winter Physical Activity: Remember “The ABCs”

When prepping your body for winter physical activity, it’s important to remember the ABCs of body prep: alignment, balance, and core training.

Alignment

No matter what physical activity you’re doing, proper body alignment is critical. This is true for all exercises and stretches as well. Be aware of the alignment of your body: your shoulders, your spine, hips, and feet. 

Proper alignment looks a little different depending on your body’s position:

Standing: Imagine a string going from your head, to your shoulders, knees, and down to your feet. You want this string to be as straight as possible – no slouching or hunching.

Sitting: The ideal sitting position is your feet flat on the floor or a footrest, with legs uncrossed. Your knees should be at the same height or lower than your hips, and your ankles should be in front of your knees. Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the floor, while sitting up straight and looking forward.

Activity: With dynamic activities such as skiing, ice skating, shoveling, etc. alignment can become a forgotten aspect with so much movement going on. It’s important to take mental snapshots during those activities of where you feel the weight of your body is positioned. A lot of our weight in these activities should be driven through our hips with our feet equally taking on the weight of our body. Placing weight into our hips allows us to better redirect forces of unknown nature like a bump while skiing or quick turn while ice skating. 

Take time during the day – even when doing passive activities like using a computer – to consider the position of your body and fix your alignment.

Balance

Balance is obviously important for sports like skiing and snowboarding, but it’s also critical for any kind of physical activity. Practicing balance can be as easy as balancing on one leg for a few seconds before switching to the other. You may also want to consider investing in a balancing board for at home practice – spending some time each day practicing on the balancing board is a fantastic way to improve your balance. Balance can be progressed by performing exercises like a squat in a single leg or single leg assisted motion. A personal favorite of ours to challenge balance is the single leg romanian deadlift. This is a great way to not only challenge balance but hip strength as well.

Core Training

Core strength is vital for just about any sport – and important for daily life as well! Your core is what keeps your body stable. 

We recommend strengthening your core at home by doing exercises like planks, crunches, and anti-rotational exercises.

How to do a plank: 

  1. Roll out an exercise mat if you have one – if not, you can use a rug, bath mat, or towel. 
  2. Get yourself in the plank position – face down with your forearms and toes on the floor, elbows directly under your shoulders and forearms facing forward. Look down at the floor.
  3. Engage your core by drawing your navel toward your spine. Keep your torso rigid and your body straight. 
  4. Hold for 10 seconds, then release. Over time, you can increase your hold time.

How to do a crunch:

  1. Roll out an exercise mat if you have one – if not, you can use a rug, bath mat, or towel. 
  2. Lie down on your back, with your feet planted on the floor hip-width apart, knees bent. Cross your arms over your chest.
  3. Engage your core by drawing your navel toward your spine, while inhaling
  4. Exhale and lift your upper body. Keep your head and neck relaxed but your core contracted.
  5. Inhale and return back to the floor.

Anti-Rotational Press (Pallof Press):

The Pallof Press is a great option with either cable machine or band to work on keeping your core stable in an “anti-rotational” concept. This means we are changing the amount of core activity with our arms. This is a great option if you have low back pain to learn how to brace your core without doing a lot of low back movement.

Regular Physical Therapy

With consistent physical therapy you should be getting care plans for stretches, exercises, and training that helps your body stay prepped, heal areas that are needed and avoid injuries. Additionally, working with a physical therapist will ensure a plan designed for your body, your ability level, and your preferred physical activities.

To sum it up, the best way to keep your body ready for the winter season – and avoid potential injury – is with regular physical therapy at PRO Therapy!

 


Dr. Kevin Spahr has extensive expertise in post-surgical rehab, work-related injuries, sports injuries and motor vehicle accidents. He has clinical experience in treating all regions of the body including neck, back, shoulder, elbow, hand/wrist, hip, knee, and ankle/foot orthopedic conditions.
Dr. Kevin Spahr

Related Posts

Follow Us

Download Your Free Reports

Tell us where it hurts and we’ll send you our best advice and top tips in one special report…

It’s free! just click below and find the one that works best for you…

back pain and stiffness guide

Back Pain

knee pain and stiffness guide

Knee Pain

neck and shoulder pain guide

Neck Pain

Ankle and Foot Pain Guide

Ankle/Foot Pain

Hip Pain and Stiffness Guide

Hip Pain

See What Our Patients Are Saying

Read our reviews from other people like you who came to see the physical therapy team – and left much healthier and happier.
Excellent
PRO Therapy
Based on 321 reviews
Mark N.
I've had PT in many locations from many different providers. ProTherapy is the most upbeat group of EXPERT DPTs that will motivate, guide, and support you as you regain strength, flexibility or wherever you may be on your journey to greater health. And they are FUN!!
ProTherapy has been a great partner for me through back and knee rehab along with pre- and post- hip replacement care. ProTherapy rocks!

Dr. Lily is my PT hero! It's hard to say goodbye after so many issues addressed. But time to head out on my own knowing that ProTherapy will be there for me should I need them again.

Thanks again to my ProTherapy PT family!
Darlyne J
Thank you, Pro Therapy, for excellent service and guidance for my left hip injuries. What a difference I am experiencing after dry needling, the targeted exercises, and lately the fantastic Stem Wave therapy. Special shout-out to Dr. Lilly.
Emma H.
PRO Therapy is the absolute BEST. I had shoulder pain/arm tingling/arm numbness in my left arm and was able to make everything go away within 4 weeks! The staff is incredibly friendly. I worked with Dr. Lily, who was PHENOMINAL. She was very caring and attentive to my questions and concerns. If I ever need physical therapy help again, I will be going back! Highly recommend!
Jacob H.
I worked with Dr Kelvyn on my ankle and he was excellent. Very attentive and good at changing/adding exercises as needed. He went above and beyond by adjusting my exercises to my desired activities. Extremely positive experience overall.
Alessia C.
I worked with Dr. Lily from January to July following a bad car accident and I can't recommend her enough!! From day one, she was incredibly friendly, supportive, and truly listened to what I was going through. She customized a workout and recovery plan that evolved with me every step of the way, making sure it suited my needs and progress.

She also introduced me to cupping and dry needling, both of which were completely new to me, and was extremely patient and reassuring, especially knowing I was nervous about needles. Thanks to her care and dedication, I’ve seen some improvement in my back, neck, and legs.

If you’re looking for someone who’s highly skilled, compassionate, and genuinely committed to helping you heal, Dr. Lily is the one to see! 🙂 Thank you!!
MaryAnn S
I have been a client of PRO Therapy since 2019 and each time I have received the best of care from the doctors I have seen. Every team member here cares about the individual and the best approach to healing. I try to deal with my pain issues with out drugs as much as possible and the care I receive from the therapists at PRO Therapy is the best. I highly recommend their services. Most recently I injured my right shoulder and arm from pulling weeds and waited too long to address the pain and limitations I was experiencing. The Stemwave non-invasive medical treatment that I have received in the past 3 weeks along with PT from one of the doctors has brought tremendous relief and is allowing me to get back to normal day to day activities. If you are looking for a clinic that treats you with respect and care as well as addressing your pain issues, don’t go any where else, PRO Therapy is your place!
Lindsay G.
My experience with Pro Therapy, and Dr. Lily Anderson was awesome. I had let my injury get to the point where it was disruptive not only to my training but daily life. Dr. Lily helped me set goals for each week, and I started to see improvement weekly! Now I have the tools and knowledge to maintain my recovery. So grateful for Dr. Lily and Pro Therapy.
Makenna S.
Dr. Lily was incredibly helpful in diagnosing and treating my knee pain! She was always so receptive to my feedback and incredibly accommodating to wherever I was at in my rehab journey. Her exercises and guidance have me pain-free after just a couple months, cannot recommend highly enough!
Sam H.
Lovely PTs! Easy to talk to professionals who know what they are doing and how to best help you. Scheduling appointments are very simple and they always send a reminder text the day before your appointment. Highly recommend!
N
Outstanding experience working with Dr Salfer and the Pro Therapy team. Helped me overcome a longstanding injury that blocked me from running. Am back to regular 5Ks for the first time in almost a decade and feel fantastic! Dr Salfer is great at what she does and is super patient to answer questions and provide instructions on how to do exercises. Front desk team also couldn’t be nicer. Thank you!